Raw and home-cooked diets are suitable for long-term feeding only if energy, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins have been calculated for the individual dog. Raw meat also increases pathogen risk. An internet recipe or generic percentage model is not a substitute for professional diet formulation.
Key points
- Have home-prepared diets formulated by a qualified veterinary nutrition professional.
- Follow the recipe, ingredients, preparation method, and supplement amounts precisely.
- With raw feeding, explicitly consider hygiene risks to the dog and the household.
Why Meat, Vegetables, and Oil Are Not Automatically Enough
A bowl that looks varied can still contain important nutrient deficiencies or excesses. Calcium, iodine, zinc, copper, vitamin D, vitamin E, and essential fatty acids are among the components that must be balanced within the complete diet.
Requirements change with life stage, body size, health status, and energy intake. Because many nutrient recommendations are expressed relative to a particular energy intake, simply scaling a recipe up or down can alter its balance.
What Is the Specific Risk of Raw Feeding?
Raw animal ingredients may contain pathogenic bacteria and parasites. Dogs can become ill or shed pathogens, while people can be exposed through preparation, surfaces, bowls, or close contact.
Freezing does not reliably eliminate every bacterial risk. Households with young children, pregnant people, older adults, or immunocompromised people should assess the additional risk particularly carefully.
Evidence: U.S. Food and Drug Administration · WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
A Safer Route to a Home-Prepared Diet
Have a complete recipe formulated, weigh ingredients and supplements accurately, and plan follow-up assessments. The margin for error is particularly small during growth or when disease is present.
- Record current weight, target body condition, activity, and relevant health information.
- Include the full feeding history, all treats, and all supplements.
- Do not alter the recipe without having it recalculated.
- Have body weight and, when indicated, laboratory values monitored.
What readers ask about this topic
Is a complete raw-diet supplement powder enough?
Only if the product, dose, and remainder of the recipe together have been shown to meet the individual dog's needs. A supplement does not automatically balance any base recipe.
Is home-cooked food safer than raw food?
Thorough cooking reduces many microbiological risks. The nutrient balance must still be formulated professionally.
Technical sources used
- Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs, 2025FEDIAF
European reference for nutritionally complete and complementary pet foods.
Source checked July 26, 2026 - 2021 Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and CatsAAHA
Clinical guidance on nutritional assessment, feeding plans, and weight management.
Source checked July 26, 2026 - Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your PetU.S. Food and Drug Administration
Regulatory evidence and hygiene guidance concerning raw pet food.
Source checked July 26, 2026 - Statement on Risks of Raw Meat-Based DietsWSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
Veterinary assessment of the risks associated with raw meat-based diets.
Source checked July 26, 2026
Sources for this guide were last checked on July 26, 2026. FEDIAF is a European pet-food industry federation; where its guidance is used, that institutional role is stated rather than hidden.